EVENTS

An item

Facebook pages can be reported. Facebook pages that threaten people can and should be reported. I was being quiet about this in public in case Miri wasn’t aware of it, but she is aware of it now, so if you’re on Facebook and you have a minute, you could report this.

Comments

That was the first time I have ever reported something in Facebook and I can’t say that I was all that impressed with how it works. I ended up choosing “Credible threat of violence” because there was nothing else that seemed close. There is something about how they stuck the word “credible” in there that really bothers me but I can’t quite figure out how to explain it.

I’m all for free speech, but it goes over the line when asking if someone should be murdered – doesn’t matter who it is. I did find it interesting that they actually ask for a response, even if it is to report to Facebook. They got what they wanted from me.

A threat is not free speech. But what’s more, Facebook is not obliged to permit free speech, being a private web site. It is actually in the best interests of any community web site, message board, chat room, etc. not to permit free speech, because there’s a crap ton of speech which counts as “free” but does not qualify as threats, which still is antithetical to providing an atmosphere of cordial exchange and communication.

Not only does a Facebook page about murdering a specific, real individual fall into that category…it also falls into the category of a threat. Free speech has nothing to do with it– which I don’t mean as any kind of admonition to mattsmom; it’s just important to clarify.

That being the case, this page should have been removed within about a millisecond. Last I checked, it’s still up.

That was the first time I have ever reported something in Facebook and I can’t say that I was all that impressed with how it works. I ended up choosing “Credible threat of violence” because there was nothing else that seemed close. There is something about how they stuck the word “credible” in there that really bothers me but I can’t quite figure out how to explain it.

Interesting. In Danish it said ‘page is harassing me or someone I know’, which was the only threat related option. It also asked me if I want to discuss the issue ‘with someone I trust’, and gave a link to some online safety stuff.

Facebook really makes no sense whatsoever when it comes to acting on such reports, when I reported someone who called me a Nazi on Facebook (because I am german and he was apparently convinced that all germans are Nazis) it took them less than 20 minutes to delete the comment I reported. But threats of violence / rape etc. can stay up for hours or even days.

Oh I don’t think we need to put any particular pressure on the leaders of the movements/groups/whatsits to denounce this. I think that can just be taken for granted. (Dave Silverman RTd me right after I tweeted about it, I should add – but really – they’re not pro death threat!)

Cluelesser than usual – but wasn’t Facebook about to go public around this time? How will this affect the share price at the IPO (initial public offering, right?) in that case, I wonder? Does Facebook wonder, I wonder?

There may be other ways to get Facebook to move without needing to delete accounts — there’s the ingenious suggestion of pointing out when advertisers are included on the same display as the page in question, and see if *they* endorse their advertising appearing directly adjacent to those suggestions of murder. Cynically I would guess that might hit the hip pocket nerve a little bit faster there.

I returned to find Facebook’s reply, as others have reported: no we’re not doing anything, because chatter about murdering a named, real, actual woman, complete with multiple photographs, is just fine with us.